The storm began with a clash.
Their blades met midair with a titanic shockwave, lightning and darkness exploding in every direction. Ingress snarled, snapping his fingers—the light around them vanished. The world fell into darkness.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Strikes rained down on Kazimir like shadows tearing through light. The force hurled him across the ruined forest, his body crashing through trees, then skipping across the sea like a stone until he finally came to a stop.
Ingress landed in front of him, his expression unreadable.
Ingress: "What a waste of time… destroying everything for no reason. Is this how Karah trained you? Pfft. No wonder she died."
The ocean trembled. The clouds wailed.
Then the world changed.
Blue mist crawled across the battlefield. The sky howled with thunder as projection energy condensed around Kazimir like a god waking from slumber. Lightning fell not in bolts—but in barrages. The sea rose in protest.
Jessie: (sensing it) "What is this change? His projection energy—it's gone primal."
Neve: "Uh-oh. Here it comes… the reason dynasties fell."
Riah: (her hair whipping in the storm, smiling faintly)
Lihanna: (stepping beside her) "What's happening…?"
Riah: (eyes glowing in the storm) "This is Kazimir—taking him seriously. He's entered the Void State."
Lihanna: "Void State? What does that even mean?"
Riah: (smiling darkly) "Don't blink."
Her own form was shifting now—feathers of crimson fire spiraled around her as she stood glowing with molten gold and blood-red flame. Her body radiated heat and power as she remained calm, her Crimson Phoenix State fully awakened. She was no longer just watching. She was guarding.
Sera: "I can't see anything! The storm is suffocating… Is he trying to sink us too!?"
Mia: (eyes sparkling) "I wanna be this strong… This is beyond incredible."
Tyrone: "These two are on a whole different level… and we're caught in the middle."
Back on the battlefield, Ingress's breathing sped up. His body burned with adrenaline. He released his trump card.
Ingress Overload.
A dome of void-twisting energy erupted around him, cracking the island itself. A tsunami raged toward the ship, ready to devour it whole.
Neve stepped forward.
One raised hand.
A pulse of white frost.
The entire wave froze midair—and crumbled into ash.
BOOM! The sky shattered.
Kazimir and Ingress collided again, moving at speeds that tore open a dimensional rift. Shockwaves sent flocks of birds fleeing from neighboring continents.
SHUNK.
Kazimir's katana pierced Ingress's chest, discharging a divine blast of lightning. Ingress collapsed to the ground, gasping, blood pouring from his mouth.
Everyone on the ship: (silent, stunned)
Tyrone: "W–wait, are they going to kill each other?!"
Jessie: "No. That was it. That blow… ended everything."
Neve: "Told him not to play with fire… and he got hit by a storm instead."
Mia: "That was brutal."
Felicia: "My sensors… couldn't register their movements. At all."
Lihanna: "This is the kind of battle… that writes itself into history."
Riah's crimson flames flickered sharply.
Riah: "I'm going to him."
Lihanna: "Wait—what? Where are you going?!"
Back on the battlefield, Kazimir stood over Ingress, rage still burning in his eyes. The sky had not yet cleared.
He wasn't done.
His hands moved.
Primal Catastrophe.
A colossal black hole of storming lightning erupted into existence behind him. It expanded—devouring energy, air, everything. The ground beneath him cracked. The world bent around it.
The ship began to shake violently.
Raijin: "Shit—I'm gonna pass out—"
Gendai: (dropping to her knees) "Is this… is this really worth it?"
Xavier: "Why is it affecting us this time?!"
The pressure was crushing. The light faded. Even Ingress, trying to rise, fell again beneath the weight of it.
And then—
She appeared.
Riah landed in front of Kazimir, her wings of burning crimson unfurled, eyes glowing with phoenix fury.
Riah: "Kazimir. Enough."
He didn't speak.
Riah: "You won. This isn't you. You're affecting everyone. Killing him won't bring your mother back. He's not worth it. End this."
Neve: (stepping in beside her) "Yeah, or I swear I'll punch your pretty little head into orbit."
Jessie: (her tone hard, but honest) "He forced your hand, Kazimir. He deserves worse. But he's still a Vandor. Still academy. He hasn't committed anything that calls for execution. We will deal with him. You've done more than enough."
A pause.
Then the black hole dispersed.
The storm ended.
Kazimir: (softly) "…You're right. I'm sorry. I got carried away."
Neve: (grinning) "Good boy. Now let's get back. There's nothing left here. The island's basically dust."
Kazimir: (half-smirking) "Says the one who flash-froze half the ocean."
Neve: (glaring) "Don't compare me to your trash."
Riah: (in her phoenix glow) "Please, Neve. Don't kill him. We don't need another Vandor on life support."
Jessie: "Let's go. We've seen enough."
Kazimir slid his coat back on, the lightning fading from his skin. His eyes, now calm, met Riah's one last time before he turned.
The ship was waiting.
They boarded.
The sky above was broken, but clearing. The air still hummed with tension, but the battle… was over.
And so they sailed back.
Toward the Astral Legion.